Études Britanniques Contemporaines (Nov 2009)
Le théâtre de David Edgar ou les coulisses de la politique
Abstract
David Edgar is a contemporary British playwright. But he is also politically committed. This study will try to shed light on the fundamental link uniting the two sides of the same creation. The play on stage thus answers the need for political activism, as through a mirror; politics and its representation in the theatre correspond one to the other, as the two sides of the same coin.But this link has been evolving throughout Edgar’s carrier as a playwright, as he began writing agitprop plays in the 1970s and he then turned towards more objective and finer renditions of the political sphere, which led him to reconsider his own ideas and ideals throughout the 1980s but also the 1990s and the 2000s. While he tended at first to intermingle political commitment and playwriting, Edgar then decided to separate the two activities which he pursued in parallel. His plays and his political articles started reflecting each other and became mutually enriching. By separating the two, David Edgar was indeed able to write for the theatre without being tempted by propaganda or indeed persuasion. The theatre thus became an instrument, a platform from which he could not only convince but have people think and consider the complexities of the political world.
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